diabetes

In the United States soda is an extremely popular and well-enjoyed beverage. In fact, it has been for over fifty years. But recently, many local governments have proposed a tax on soda and other sugary beverages. This has led to some controversy in the cities that propose them where soda is often cheaper than buying water. But many ask if this tax could benefit lower-income communities.

“It would help certainly with diabetes and obesity epidemic, just like the tobacco tax did in California,” says Dr. Kimberly Laurenson. “Studies show that the tax on tobacco products decreased the number of smokers. We are to assume it would do the same for soda and other sugary drinks, mostly because there has never been documented evidence or studies on soda taxes yet.”

Studies do typically show when a tax is implemented, average people are less likely to purchase that item. Local governments in California see this opportunity as a way to implement programs to help people who suffer from Type-2 diabetes and other problems related with obesity by using the tax dollars collected from the sale of sugary beverages. With the tobacco tax on California, the tax dollars collected from the $2 per pack tax goes to programs which help people quit smoking.

It’s possible that local cities could see the same thing happen if there were a soda tax, but recently there was a law signed saying there can’t be a soda tax in California for at least the next twelve years. Soda company representatives and lobbyists had actually met with Governor Jerry Brown at his house in the weeks before the law was signed, but Brown declared to the public that the meeting wasn’t about the soda tax or any policy. Some people see this move as yet another example of big corporations holding local government hostage for their own benefit.

Healthcare officials have started to fight back, starting an initiative to bring taxes to sugary beverages. They are fighting back towards soda corporations to bring more people to vote on this initiative in 2020.

A common idea that has gained attention in places all over the world is a “soda tax”. This would be, in many cases, a one-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. This tax has been being brought up by nutritionists and being fought back by soda production companies and some citizens. While the U.K. seems to have a handle on the idea of this tax, some places in the United States are having arocky start getting one of their own.

Soda definitely has itscosts, including being damaging to one’s health and leading to diabetes, and in the U.K. were the tax has been implemented, fewer people arebuying soda. The tax on soda seems to be a good way of instituting good health practices, but not everyone agrees with taxing sugary beverages, as seen inChicago, when the soda tax was rejected after a few months of being implemented.

“My opinion on taxing soda, I mean… it’s one of the cheapest drinks and it gives you a little bump into finishing the day,” says Charlie Mitchell, a student at American River College in Sacramento. “So taxing it would make it really difficult to like her a little something, because water is kind of more expensive… Not that I’m saying it’s not healthy and you should drink (sodas) as an alternative to healthy stuff, but it’s cheaper and college students are broke.”

Price of water in vending machine at American River College

At American River College, the cheapest place to get a soda is the cafe, which costs $1 for one can. The cheapest place to get water on campus is the vending machines, where it costs $1.75.

You may not even need to worry, considering the soda tax doesn’t seem to be verysuccessful in California. Whenever the soda tax appears, it seems to be rejected in California. Other types of preventative measures can be taken, such aseducating the public on how unhealthy soda is, and the possibility of having awarning label on every can of soda. Only time will tell if soda consumption will go down in the United States.

On the 19th, 24th, and 29th of this month, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at the Dr. Ephraim Williams Family Life Center on 14th street,“The Sugars” event will work to educate people about diabetes. To RSVP for tickets, please visit eventbrite.com

There are two types of diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable with healthy food choices and exercise. 55% of adults in Sacramento have pre-diagnosed or diagnosed diabetes. 50% of adult African-Americans have diabetes in California. Knowing how to take care of your diabetes can help maintain a balance in the blood’s sugar levels, thus helping you lead a healthier life.

“In order to reduce the devastating complications of diabetes, individuals with diabetes need to adequately control blood glucose, along with other associated risk factors such as lipid disorders and hypertension,” said Association Chief Scientific, Medical & Mission Officer William T. Cefalu, MD in a press release. “Thus, the person with diabetes is responsible for daily management of this chronic condition, which involves adequate nutrition and regular physical activity, as well as adjusting medication dosages and monitoring blood glucose. The National Standards for DSMES recognize that the person with diabetes is actually the center of the health care team since it is estimated that a person with diabetes visits his or her primary care provider, on average, only four times a year. Therefore, it is critical that we support people with diabetes and their caregivers with the appropriate self-management guidance, education, and tools to improve patient outcomes and prevent or delay the many serious complications that can accompany diabetes.”

William Jahmal Miller will be moderating the event, with the guest speaker Dr. Rodney G. Hood, a health professional. They will be working to educate African Americans about diabetes, and how they can take care of themselves.

For anyone who drinks soda or any sugary based beverages regularly may want to start reaching for water soon. New research suggests that drinking two or more sweetened drinks per day could be doubling your risk for diabetes. In this new study conducted Swedish researchers found that consuming two or more 6.07 oz. servings of sweetened drinks daily doubles the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This creates a big dilemma for many Americans because the average size drink is 12 ounces. Furthermore if you are consuming just one standard drink a day you have already doubled your risk unknowingly.

“Not all studies have been able to look at sugary and artificially beverages separately,” said Josefin Edwall Löfvenborg, a nutritionist at the Karolinksa Intitute in Sweden, “(but) it’s getting more and more established that soft drinks increase risk of type II diabetes.” (CNN)

So how are we going to change society’s consumption of sugary drinks? Soda companies have already started cutting sugar in their drinks, but just a few weeks ago Pepsi Co. just announced they will be finally turning against sugar. While the news may come to a surprise for such a prominent soda company; the reason why they opting for less sugary drinks is to turn around sales as soda consumption begins to decline. Since new studies are verifying the health risk behind the added sugar in soda. Society has been consuming less of the sugary beverages. Even though Americans consume 30% more sugar daily now than three decades ago, according to the Obesity Society, nutritional trends are increasingly focusing on the dangers of eating too much sugar. Pepsi hopes to diversify their offerings by 2025 and grow sales of drinks such as tea, coffee, bottled water, and downsizing bottles.

Soda companies are not the only companies trying to help eliminate this obesity trend. Local fast food restaurants have also opted to change the format of their menus and promotion. Recently, Burger King has decided to jump on board with other fast food chains by taking soda off their kids menu.

“Many kids today are active and busy today, and for a lot parents they don’t have time to always make sure their kids are making healthy choices.” Ann Taylor – Registered Dietician “Which means when kids are out and have easy access to soda for processed sugars it creates a dilemma to continue raise obesity rates.”

Fast- food chains are feeling the urgency from advocacy groups to do their part to help fight obesity. According to The Center for Science in the Public Interest says sugary drinks are a hefty contributor to kids packing on the extra pounds. Fast food chains are continuing to try to develop new ways to balance their nutritional menu to help lower this unhealthy trend.

The good news is not only can soda and fast food companies make changes but we all as community as well. When looking at the nation’s first “soda tax” on sugar-sweetened beverages, which went into effect in Berkeley, last year showed that it worked.

A local research student named Kristine Madsen at UC Berkley conducted a study that showed once the tax was put in place there was a significant decline. People in Berkeley reported a huge increase in their water consumption.

“Being a student on campus it was always hard to avoid unhealthy caffeine, so sometimes I would opt for a soda, Julia Surges 2016 UC Berkley Graduate “but when the tax was put into place I opted for coffee and water.”

Cutting sugar is in high demand right now for society, and thanks for advocacy groups and researchers soda are no longer the main source of revenue for these companies. This research may show that soda companies need to cut sugar from beverages to survive due to consumer demand, but consumers need to actually take control monitoring their daily sugar intake in order to a decline diabetes and obesity rates.

Thanks to TV shows like “The Biggest Loser”, counting carbs is on its way to becoming a regular American pastime. Newly released figures are also showing that diabetes is quickly becoming part of American culture and more people should be worried about it.

Sweets are big contributors to the disease

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention* found that on average almost one third of U.S. teens with diabetes are unaware that they have it. The data showed that “about 0.8 percent of the teens surveyed had diabetes, and of these, nearly 29 percent didn’t know they had the condition.”

A quick internet search reveals that diabetes often has no symptoms, and even the few that are listed such as frequent urination and thirst could be seen as trivial. Diabetes is dangerous because of the strain it puts on our bodies which puts people with diabetes at a much higher risk for mortal complications such as liver failure, heart attack, and stroke.

To put more candidly, the findings reveal that a third of teens who are facing these deadly complications are completely in the dark about it and therefore unable to combat it. In turn they showcase the importance of teaching America’s youth about healthy eating habits and the consequences of neglecting our bodies.

”Type 2 diabetes is preventable by eating a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and veggies!” says Amber Stott, founder of the Sacramento-based Food Literacy Center. “It’s critical to teach kids the habit of eating their veggies at a young age, because eating habits form early.”

In accordance with Stott’s advice, another study** published in the Health economics journal found that by rewarding or ‘bribing’ kids to eat fruits and veggies, the number of kids who ate at least one serving per day doubled.

“Vegetables protect us from many diet-related diseases. Eating veggies is like brushing your teeth. We don’t wait until our kids have a cavity to teach them to brush their teeth–we teach them early so they don’t get cavities in the first place,” said Stott. “This same thinking should be considered with eating vegetables. By doing it early–and often–we’re protecting our kid’s good health so they don’t develop health problems later in life.”

Even after the rewards ceased for eating fruits and veggies, the children continued to eat almost double the fruits and veggies they had previously, proving that good habits can die hard too.

These studies reveal two things: one, to slow the diabetes epidemic action must be taken to correct the poor eating habits that our country has developed, and two, there are feasible ways of doing so, such as bribing kids.

*The CDC study noted that the tests could not confirm whether the teens that showed positive had type 1 or type 2 diabetes, only the latter of which is preventable; as well as the fact that only one round of blood tests leaves some room for overestimation as to the results.

**The Health Economics study noted that rewarded behavior can lead to a slight lack of motivation to perform the rewarded behavior purely through personal motivation in the future.

Last month, the city of Philadelphia took a huge step forward for a large U.S. city by passing health related legislation in the form of a soda tax. The city of Brotherly Love followed in the footsteps of the modestly-sized city of Berkeley, which back in November of 2015 passed Measure D, an initiative to implement a soda tax.

As diabetes has increased in the United States over the past 15 years, it is becoming more important to understand that besides healthy living habits by individuals, health related policies enacted by legislative bodies could be another stepping stone in finding solutions to the obesity epidemic. The amount of sugar contained in soda and other readily available drinks is alarming and many of these types of beverages tend to be cheaper than water, making people with a low socioeconomic status more likely to choose the more affordable product. Although such a move locally would probably be an uphill battle against “big soda” who shells out large amounts of money for lobbying, a soda tax could be beneficial to Sacramento and its residents.

There are 39 grams of sugar in 12 fluid ounces of soda.

The Ecology Center in Berkeley is a nonprofit organization that focuses on health and environmental related issues in urban areas. The organization’s executive director, Martin Bourque, was heavily involved in the Berkeley Soda Tax campaign. Bourque made it clear that fighting against big corporations might be tough, but that it is very possible with the right group of people.

“Our best advice is to build a community coalition as early as possible,” Bourque said. “The coalition needs to stick together, identify the opposition, and hold them responsible for the harm they are causing. Be sure that your coalition includes people from the demographics hardest hit by the diseases associated with sugary beverages. Their families have suffered the most, and their stories touch on our common humanity.”

Sugary beverages can lead not just to diabetes and obesity, but also high blood pressure, heart disease, and other serious, sometimes fatal health issues. Those who are against the tax, would rather consumers focus on other ways to prevent these preventable diseases and think that additional fees should take a backseat to other options.

This November, San Francisco will be the next large city to get a chance to vote on a soda tax with opposition groups digging in for a fight.

“At a time when there are more pressing issues to address in San Francisco, such as crime, cost of living and homelessness, there are higher priorities for local government than regulating our food and beverage choices,” said Joe Arellano, the spokesman for the No SF Grocery Tax. “Our elected leaders should be focused on the issues that matter most to San Francisco residents and businesses, instead of making it harder and more expensive for grocers and small businesses.”

While few would argue that crime, the cost of living, and homelessness are all not important to focus on with legislation, over one-third of the entire population in America is currently living with obesity, making the creation of policies to encourage healthier decisions a real necessity, even though not everybody agrees.

Even though soda is already cheap, stores might offer more incentive to buy larger quantities.

“A tax is the wrong approach to solving the obesity challenge,” says Arellano. “In fact, soda consumption has gone down in recent years, while the rate of obesity has increased. Obesity and diabetes are very complex diseases that can’t be solved by focusing on one food or beverage. Taxes don’t make people healthy, only diet and exercise can do that.”

Even though diet and exercise are crucial to living healthy, many people find that a healthier diet can be more difficult to maintain when it is less affordable, given that soda is a cheaper than many healthier options. While a tax alone may not be able to solve obesity and diabetes by itself, many believe that it is at least starting point. Plus, the tax money in Berkeley from revenues generated by their soda tax has gone to programs to help combat youth obesity and other similar efforts and Sacramento could use a tax in the same way.

“So far, the tax has generated $1.5 million,” Bourque said. “That has been disbursed to Berkeley Unified School District for its gardening and cooking programs, plus a new round of community grants for education focused on those most impacted by big soda marketing.”

According to an L.A. Times article by Patrick McGreevy, California lawmakers wish to enforce what they refer to as a “healthy impact fee” of two cents per ounce on soda and other sugary beverages in an effort to fight a current diabetes epidemic in the state.

Another article on Techtimes.com by Rina Marie Doctor states that nearly half of Californian adults are prediabetic. Many factors contribute to the widespread diabetes, including lack of free time, sleep, access to safe play places, food deserts, and more. However, simply decreasing soda consumption could drastically decrease ones risk of obtaining obesity as a study according to a study on Harvard School of Public Health entitled Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet found. That paper said that for each additional 12-ounce soda consumed per day, a person increased their risk for obtaining obesity by sixty percent.

The tax will hopefully force younger people to consume less unhealthy beverages as it won’t be as affordable. Hopefully, the tax can indirectly be a contribution in terms of increasing self esteem in children as well. A study by Eureka Alert entitled “Obesity Can Be Harmful To Your Child’s Mental Health” states that obese girls between the ages of thirteen and fourteen are four times more likely to experience low self esteem than non-obese girls. The same article also states that both obese boys and girls are more likely to suffer from loneliness, sadness, and nervousness.

“As a practicing child psychiatrist, I see a clear association between obesity and depression and anxiety disorders among children and teens,” says David Fassler, M.D., an APA Trustee and child and adolescent psychiatrist from the Eureka Alert entitled Obesity Can Be Harmful To Your Child’s Mental Health by the America Psychiatric Association.

In addition, the expected $2 billion raised from this “healthy impact fee”, as stated by the L.A. Times article by Patrick McGreevy, is intended to go towards counties, cities, community-based organizations and licensed clinics in creating and maintaining obesity and diabetes prevention programs.

With obesity and diabetes heavily affecting today’s youth in a negative way, there is absolutely no doubt that action must be taken to prevent the further spread of obesity and diabetes. However, is simply taxing soda the right way in going about this prevention? Healthier choices are already voiced by many but they are often not chosen because they are too expensive. Reducing the cost of healthier choices instead of increasing the cost of unhealthy choices could also be part of the answer to solve the epidemic on the horizon.

There’s an increase in diabetes and obesity in California and all across the U.S. This video talks about the certain topics related to healthy foods for the citizens all over California and Sacramento.

On July 17th from 6PM-8PM, the African American Women’s Health Legacy host their monthly mentoring and women’s empowerment workshop. There will also be a huge collection of vendors and an item swap.

The African American Women’s Health Legacy, also known as AAWHL, has been working many years to promote education of health and leadership skills to women of color. In 2009, the University of California San Francisco found that while the population of African American females in Sacramento is only 8% of the total population, 15% of those women have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Many are left untreated and unhelped due to the high cost of medical attention. The AAWHL aims to help, educate, and empower those women.

The goal of the workshop is to promote health while making connections within the community. They also aim to educate the public on self-management, family relationships, physical fitness, and proper diets.

The women of AAWHL strive to educate the people of the dangers of sugar and the benefits of a proper, healthy diet.

Through AAWHL, women of all ethnicities and color have been meeting and discussing the life of themselves, their children, and their communities. They aim to change the negative connotations of their community, promoting higher education and healthy lifestyle practices for themselves and their families. As a voice of the community, these women welcome you to come and share opinions of your own.

The event is open to all women of color and is located at the Brickhouse Gallery on 2837 34th Street. For more information, please call: Toni Colley-Perry at 916-519-9189